Protecting Our Environmental Heritage

Your job can expose to certain environmental conditions that may lead to injury. You can potentially develop allergic reactions, hearing loss, weather-related injuries, trouble breathing, and other related injuries. Here is some information to help you understand the compensation rights for all workers after a severe environmental injury.

Should Workers Compensation Pay for Environmental Injuries?

Yes, Definitely. Workers compensation benefits are available for any injuries that are caused by the exposure to dangerous environmental conditions. This should include any forms of medical treatment that were necessitated by your environmental harm, including having trouble breathing, hearing loss, blindness, allergic reactions, and weather related injuries. You can also get compensated for the wage loss benefits, especially if you have a reduction in your capacity to work or cannot work to earn maximum fees.

Can Hearing Loss be considered an Environmental Injury?

Hearing loss is one of the most common work-related health conditions and is therefore regarded as an environmental injury. Tinnitus is one of the common condition, which is a buzzing or ringing in your ears. The employer and the insurance company often dispute such claims, arguing that old age frequently causes hearing loss.

However, if you are frequently exposed to loud noises at work, then there’s a good chance that your employer had much to do with your hearing problems. It’s important to find a doctor that specializes in hearing loss to diagnose your problems, and also determine if the workplace noise had anything to do with it. If it’s the case, workers’ compensation should adequately pay for your medications and hearing aids.

A while back, we represented a man that had lost his hearing at a relatively young age, and it was determined that he would need to use hearing aids for the rest of his life. His work compensation benefits were denied because the employer did not believe the work environment had caused the condition. We took the deposition of his doctor and filed a workers’ compensation lawsuit. Ultimately, his employer agreed to pay the settlement, which mostly covered for the man’s hearing aids for his lifetime.

Does Developing Lung Problems Count as Environmental Injury?

Yes. It’s true that people develop lung problems from their work environment. This is especially true in conditions where workers are exposed to fumes and other chemicals. In most cases, victims have a harder time breathing, and this may affect their performance. You can be diagnosed with bronchitis, asthma, or other respiratory conditions. Exposure to asbestos can only cause some of the lung problems like mesothelioma.

Many insurance companies like to blame the lung problems on smoking and other non-work related factors. However, it’s still important that you dispute any decision that will deny your compensation benefits.

What about Allergic Reactions?

Developing allergies due to your work environment is possible. Contact dermatitis, for instance, is compensable under the worker’s comp. This is usually the case when you are sensitive to some of the substances in your workplace environment that cause allergic reactions in your body. Different workers will react differently, but you may have skin irritation or pain as symptoms. In case you are unable to perform your job due to such an allergic reaction, then you might be entitled to wage loss benefits.

What Injuries are caused by Weather?

These can vary widely. For example, heat stroke can be brought about by strenuous physical activity, or high temperatures, and is a very dangerous condition. It can also lead to organ failure, brain damage, or even death. Cold weather can cause frostbite, where skin and tissue freeze. It’s also a dangerous condition that can lead to amputation.